While a healthy diet and exercise are paramount to good health and maintaining healthy body composition, adding supplementary soluble fiber offers additional benefits. When selecting fiber, there are many aspects to review. Each fiber is unique in origin, purity, viscosity, and overall stability once ingested. In fact, even one type of fiber can vary greatly in quality. Amorphophallus konjac, a tuberous plant, is a rich source of the
soluble fiber glucomannan. This fiber has an exceptional ability to absorb water and is one of the most viscous dietary fibers known.
Not All Glucomannans Are Created Equal
There are many aspects of glucomannan that affect end-product quality: the species of konjac used, the harvesting location, the time of harvesting, the production process, impurities (e.g., sulfites), viscosity, the response of the viscosity to different pH levels and temperatures, and hydration speed. For these reasons, finding the material with the most manufacturing and processing experience and scientific research behind it is important.
Propol® A Propolmannan
Shimizu Chemical Corporation is a pioneer in the world of dietary fiber and its health benefits. Using its vast knowledge—over 300 years of processing raw material (Japanese Amorphorphallus konjac species) and extracting glucomannan—it has developed Propol A propolmannan, a highly purified glucomannan. Shimizu’s unique and proprietary three-stage purification process is carried out in large-scale extraction plants and involves pulverizing the Amorphophallus tubers, collecting mannan-glucose particles, and polishing the particles in order to dislodge and extract noxious materials that adhere to them. With the use of cutting-edge technology, Propol A has been reduced to a special particle size that maximizes density while remaining in desirable viscous form. This process yields a pure, refined, high-performance Amorphophallus propolmannan that improves product solubility, stability, and overall functionality.
Viscosity, Stability Through the Digestive Tract
Viscosity is a physicochemical property of soluble fiber that reflects the fiber’s ability to thicken as it mixes with fluid. Viscosity is a recognized factor affecting physiological responses to soluble fiber. Propol A features an extremely high viscosity (100,000 mPa·s), which is thought to contribute to its health benefits. Furthermore, as a benefit of its unique processing, Propol A remains intact in the digestive tract—another key factor in fiber functionality. Viscosity and stability, taken together, produce a highly effective material that, once in the digestive tract, attracts water and forms a viscous gel-like substance that slows digestion, delays the emptying of food from the stomach into the small intestine, slows down the influx of carbohydrates and fats into the bloodstream, binds to bile acids, and impedes dietary fat absorption.
Satiety and Weight Control
Soluble fiber is known to act as a bulking agent in the stomach and intestine, which creates the signals of fullness and causes individuals to eat less. Studies suggest that glucomannan supplementation significantly reduces weight at doses of 3 g/d to 4 g/d when compared to placebo. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, the effects of 3 g/d of Propol (1 g 30-60 minutes prior to each meal) combined with 300
mg/d of calcium were studied. When dosing compliant and non-complaint subgroups were analyzed, the results indicated that compliant subjects experienced a significant reduction in scale weight, body fat percentage, and fat mass without a loss of fat-free mass or bone density. In another study, the mean weight loss for the glucomannan group was 5.5 lbs in eight weeks, while subjects in the placebo group gained 1.5 lbs.
Glucose and Lipid Metabolism
Soluble fiber slows the absorption of carbohydrates, which influences the release of insulin and the rate of fat storage. Glucomannan studies have not only demonstrated a positive impact on postprandial glucose handling and glucose metabolism but also on cholesterol metabolism. This latter effect is thought to result from the fact that soluble fiber reduces fat and cholesterol absorption and carries bile out of the intestines.
When fewer bile acids are available, the body draws cholesterol from the bloodstream to make more.
Healthy Bowel Function, Prebiotic
Glucomannan not only allows more water to remain in the stool, thereby making waste softer, larger, and easier to pass through the intestines, but it is also an excellent prebiotic. In a placebo-controlled, randomized, parallel, double-blind, crossover trial, doses of 3 g/d and 4 g/d of glucomannan had a positive impact on intestinal habit (i.e., daily and weekly evacuations) and stool characteristics when compared to placebo.
Glucomannan has also been shown to reduce mouth-to-cecum transit time compared to placebo. In other research, glucomannan improved defecation frequency, eased bowel movement, increased the fecal concentration of lactobacilli as well as the daily output of bifidobacteria, lactobacilli, and total bacteria. In addition, fermentation of glucomannan resulted in greater fecal acetate, propionate, and i-butyrate concentrations
and lower fecal pH.
Directions:
Mix one to two scoops (1.6-3.2 g) in 8-12 oz of water or other non- alcoholic beverage and consume once per day, or mix one scoop as directed and consume 30 to 60 minutes before each of your two biggest meals, or use as directed by your healthcare professional.
